News & Updates — rocksteady

Born on this day in 1938, the soulful Alton Ellis was one of the finest rocksteady singers Jamaica ever produced. With a career going back to the late '50s, he recorded early on doing ska, R&B and ballads in the duo Alton & Eddy (and with his sister Hortense) for Studio 1 and Randy's. He teamed with John Holt for awhile and started The Flames, recording for Treasure Isle & again Studio 1. The genre took its name from Ellis' 1967 recording "Rock Steady", helping establish the genre and making Ellis popular enough to tour England. Several more hits followed...

We're excited to be returning to one of our favorite spots -- The Alvah Stone! This fantastic restaurant, located in an old mill overlooking a falling river, is a perfect rural spot for a lively party! The restaurant is celebrating three years and the week-long festivities will be capped off by a tropical-funk dance party featuring DJs Andujar and Bongohead of Peace & Rhythm Records. The Alvah Stone offers incredible food, a great bar with plenty of local drafts and hand-crafted cocktails and a wonderful staff. The DJs will be spinning groovy international flavors, all from vinyl -- from cumbia...

One of the most important Jamaican musical figures was the keyboardist/composer Jackie Mittoo. He was a child prodigy who learned piano at four years old, was leading popular club bands recording sessions for Studio One as a teenager. He became the label's Musical Director and was a founding member of The Skatalites, along with Tommy McCook (who shares a date of birth today). Very much influenced by soul music (such as Booker T & the MG's), he not only held down key roles in The Soul Vendors, Sound Dimension and The Soul Brothers, but he also made some funky records...

The great Cuban-born saxophonist Tommy McCook came out of the important Kingston JA-based Alpha Boys School (home to many great Jamaican musicians) and worked on a gazillion sessions of ska, reggae, jazz, rocksteady and soul, and was a founding (and long-time) member of The Skatalites (along with Jackie Mittoo--whose born day is also today). He was Musical Director for The Supersonics and cut a few sides under his own name, as well as the band backing singers like Alton Ellis, Justin Hinds and others. A lyrical tenor player, he cited John Coltrane as one of his biggest influences. Early on...

Our friends over at the always-tasteful Paris DJs have put up a downloadable mixtape of some of the grooviest nuggets of recent vintage for your listening pleasure. Yes, the Friends & Family Vol 1 set is your audio update on the dopest sounds of today. Their website has given coverage to so many great contemporary bands of the funk, reggae, soul, hip-hop, jazz and boogaloo scenes that it's like they want to do the work for you, keeping you up to date with the freshest arrivals. All of the tunes selected here are from late 2016 or 2017. They cover...